Landline by Rainbow Rowell – Book Review

“Neal didn’t take Georgie’s breath away. Maybe the opposite. But that was okay–that was really good, actually, to be near someone who filled your lungs with air.”

– Rainbow Rowell, Landline

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts…

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

Review

When a book makes you experience every emotion and continues to lead you in new surprising directions you know it’s a good book. Rainbow Rowell is amazing. Seriously, I absolutely adore her writing. It is so accessible yet powerful. This was the only book of Rainbow Rowell’s that I had not read yet. (And now I’m ready for more. It’s an addiction I can’t help it.) Somehow it just flew under the radar for me. But, since this book takes place around Christmas I figured it was a perfect time to pick up this beauty.

Going into this book I knew I could expect likable characters and great dialogue. Rowell always provides those components. However, I was not expecting the total plot twist. As the synopsis states our main character finds a way to communicate with her husband in the past. Rowell brilliantly uses a piece of technology from our recent past that is all but obsolete. A landline makes this magical connection. This component leaves the reader wondering if she’s helping her relationship or hurting it through this connection.

One thing I liked about this book was how real the relationships were. They weren’t glossy and were not always pretty. (Let’s face it, most of the time they weren’t pretty.) Georgie had to fight for her relationship. She had to realize her faults and the faults of her partner in order to move forward. They were very real struggles.

Another thing I really loved was the commentary that was sparked because of Georgie’s profession. Georgie is a female comedy writer. She is a female in a male dominated field and this book discusses the disadvantages that goes along with that. She is a partner to Seth yet their peers discredit her. She has to work to prove herself more than Seth does in their field. However, they both acknowledge that they are both vital components to their success. I found the discussion on this topic to be very interesting especially after reading books by comedians like Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler. Rowell did a great job of shining some light on this in a subtle yet meaningful way.

All in all, this book does not get the love it deserves. I really enjoyed the whole experience reading this book. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Have you read anything by Rainbow Rowell? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let me know below!